A survey is being conducted by ACOG to determine the cesarean childbirth rates in the U.S. and current hospital policies regarding cesarean childbirth. Members of the EB staff are acting as consultants to ACOG to assist in the design of the survey and sampling methodology. In the past 10 years, rates of cesarean births have risen dramatically. In 1979, a Consensus Conference on Cesarean Childbirth was sponsored by NICHD. Results from the current survey will help to determine if rates of cesarean births are changing and the reason for the changes. In addition to the survey, NICHD is in the process of obtaining information from the Commission on Professional Hospital Activities on national rates of cesarean childbirth that will be comparable to information obtained by the institute in 1980.